Spanish courses

Presentation

Introduction

Our program offers the possibility to study Spanish by combining intensive language courses at different levels with other types of courses: courses to improve speaking and writing skills, as well as courses in which language is analyzed from a multidisciplinary point of view through culture, history, art, literature, cinema, gastronomy and business.

In many of these courses the city of Barcelona is used as the focus and as an interactive backdrop to study the language through different disciplines. Students who enrol on one of these courses will be able to progress in learning the language while increasing their knowledge of Spanish culture, literature, film, art, etc. whilst thoroughly exploring and experiencing the city from another perspective.

Most courses are taught in Spanish and some in English, always delivered by professors who have extensive teaching experience at university level. As such, materials and teaching approaches used in the courses are adapted to the language competence of our international students, from both the most basic to advanced levels.

To pre-register for the program the completed application must be received by June 19, 2015.

Program Structure

The courses last for 4 weeks (July 1 - 23, 2015)

All classes are held from Monday to Thursday and the schedules of the different courses are compatible so that students can choose from several options. From taking only a 60-hour language course, given in the morning (from 9.00 to 13.30 h.), to combining the language with other subjects taught at midday and/or evening hours, such as oral or written expression workshops (15 hours), or courses from other disciplines such as literature, film, etc. (15 hours), being able to make up a total of 90 hours.

Description of the Spanish Courses

ESPAÑOL INTENSIVO: 60-hour intensive language courses offered at different levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced and proficiency. The orientation of our language program is communicative, both in aims and the methodology used. This means that in addition to rigorous training in grammar, our courses provide students with the necessary resources to communicate in Spanish correctly and appropriately in different areas. (Taught in Spanish)

To ensure that students obtain the maximum benefit from these courses, a placement test will be held prior to the beginning of the courses.

TALLER DE EXPRESIÓN ORAL: This 15-hour module gives students the opportunity to improve their skills in both speaking and listening in Spanish. The main objective of the course is to provide students with the resources necessary to be able to participate actively in Spanish in a wide range of spoken communicative situations in addition to improving fluency. The course allows students to practise different spoken genres (debates, negotiations, presentations, interactions, interviews etc.) whilst acquiring appropriate norms for effective communication (turn-taking, politeness, register, functional language, linguistic structures, gestures etc.) (Taught in Spanish)

TALLER DE EXPRESIÓN ESCRITA: This 15-hour module offers students the opportunity to improve their skills in both writing and reading in Spanish as well as their oral fluency. The main objective of the course is to provide students with the resources necessary to be able to participate actively in Spanish in a wide range of written communicative situations. The course allows students to practice different written genres (formal and informal letters, emails, requests, reports, discursive articles, guides, reviews etc.) whilst acquiring the different lexical and syntactic elements necessary for their production. The course will make use of a wide range of Spanish texts as models. (Taught in Spanish)

SPANISH CULTURAL STUDIES: This 15-hour module offers students the opportunity to gain insight into the diversity of Spanish culture through its history, politics, artists and traditions. To this effect the course offers students a vision of Spanish history over the last 70 years. The course looks in detail at Spain's historical and political development (from the Civil War to the Spain on the European Union), its multinational identity (Catalan and Basque nationalism) and how Spain has been viewed by its artists and is reflected in its culture and customs. (Taught in English)

BARCELONA: PAST AND PRESENT: This 15-hour module offers students the opportunity to gain insight into Spanish and Catalan culture through Barcelona's history, culture and society. To this effect, students will journey from Roman civilization to the present-day multicultural and cosmopolitan city, passing through the various stages that have made Barcelona what it is today. The course offers field trips which will show in situ the traits that these different civilizations and eras have left on Barcelona's architecture, as well as opportunities to discover the culture and customs of the city through film and literature. (Taught in English)